
Class _Eif/5L_ 
Book '?)? ,? _ 
GD]jyriglitK°. 

copoaaar deposit 



O^v 



/ 



9 






BRE 

fjEWYoRK-CHICAQQ-WASHINGTW 

•London • Paris 

. JDN 211890 ) 



/Ya-^/^^i^^^-^;^^^ 



\ 



If^^IBPHV- X-r ItJ- 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



^nitrM-Pmm^^ 1 0- 



Slielf-:..c).:2-. 



1 



UNITrD STATES OF AMERICA. 



IRENTANO'S VIEWS of AMERICAN CITIES. 



l^taicy-^f^iJ' 



iy# M 



\!^ sM m 




N ount N^ ecnor^, 
I Afega^ria. x 



IHIIIIIlll .|l lllllllllllllll!lilllllnllllllllllllllillHIIIIIIIIM|iill.|illlllli|l ll.lillllllllll llll llllll.lllilllllllllllllllillllllllilillllll'lllllllwilll 

ASHINGTON, 

llllllllilllllllrln lll:l! I lltr l llllll l:llllll nilllUnil.lll IIIIII||:IIII'I|Ii|iH' I|II II1iIIIIII'[II|II|IIIIIHIIHHI l|ll|iri|1|l I'll i|l I 



ENTANO S 



NEW YORK. 

CHICAGO, 
WASHINGTON, 
LONDON. 
PARIS. 



^ 



-^^ 1889. ^ 



--1 



Copyright, 1889. 
Bv Brf-ntano's. 



glxe Capitol 




CCUPIES a commanding site on what is known as Capitol Hill. The cornerstone of the old 
Capitol, which is composed of Virginia sandstone, and now forms the centre of the imposing 
building, was laid by General Washington on the i8th da)' of September, 1794. Though 
the designs for it were drawn by William Thornton, an English resident of New York, the 
old Capitol is really the work of Benjamin Henry Latrobe, a famous English architect of 
the time. He it was who began rebuilding the CajMtol after the British had burned it in 
1814, and continued his work of restoration till 1817, when he resigned, and was, replaced by Charles 
Bullfinch, a Bostonese architect. The latter followed Latrobe's plans in all particulars, and finished the 
building in 1827. The wings, which are of white marble, were added in 1851, and were designed by Thomas 
U. Walter, of Philadelphia, who prepared also the drawings for the dome. In 1867 the Capitol of the 
United States of America was completed. 

The Capitol is 751 feet long and 324 feet wide, covering nearly four acres of ground. The total height 
from the base line of the eastern front of the building to the crest of the statue of Freedom which surmounts 
the dome is 307;,^ feel. The diameter of the dome is 135^2 feet- The ground floor of the north wing is 
occupied by the Senate, and contains the famous bronze door designed by Randolph Rogers. The south 
wing contains the Hall of Representatives. On this floor are also the great Rotunda, the National Statuary 
Hall, the Library of Congress, and the Supreme Court Room. The Rotunda is in the centre of the original 
Capitol, and is 180 feet high. 

Horatio Greenough's celebrated statue of George Washington occupies a position on the eastern grounds 
of the building, facing the grand portico. The grounds around the Capitol have been tastefully laid out. 
The total amount appropriated by Congress since 1800 for the construction of the Capitol is $15,000,000. 



glxc ^cwutc Orittinxbcr 




"is situated in the north wing of the Capitol. It is 112 feet long, 82 feet wide, and 30 feet iiigh. 
The ceiling is constructed of iron girders and cross pieces with glass panels decorated 
with national emblems. The walls are decorated m gold and buff. The floor is covered 
with a heavy carpet, and the desks an<i chairs of the Senators are arranged in concentric 
semicircles. The President of the Senate sits on a small dais, before a wide desli. At his 
right is the Sergeant-at-Arms, and at his left sits the assistant door-keeper. A gallery is 

reserved for the members of the foreign legations, and galleries for the friends of the members of the Senate. 

The gallery for the representatives of the press is directly over the chair of the President. These galleries, 

together with the galleries for the public, will seat upwards of 1,000 persons. 




Slxc ^all of the IJousc of §lc|frc5ciitatiuc5 

[S 139 feet long, 93 feet wide, and 36 feet high. It is situated in the south wing of the Capitol. 
The chairs and desks of the Representatives are arranged in the same manner as in the 
Senate Chamber. The Speaker's chair is placed on a platform. On the right of the Speaker 
is a stand on which the mace is placed when Congress is in session. The ceiling is profusely 
gilded and decorated with panels bearing the coats-of-arms of the different siaios. 'I he 
galleries offer ample room for 2,000 visitors. 
The 325 Representatives in Congress are apportioned at present (1889) as follows: Alabama, 8; 
Arkansas, 5; California, 6; Colorado, i; Connecticut, 4: Delaware, i ; Florida, 2; Georgia, 10; Illinois, 
20; Indiana, 13 ; Iowa, 11 ; Kansas, 7 ; Kentucky, 11 ; Louisiana, 6 ; Maine, 4 ; Maryland, 6 ; Massa 
chuseits, 12 ; Michigan, 11 ; Minnesota, 5 ; Mississippi; 7; Missouri, 14 ; Nebraska, 3 ; Nevada, i; New 
Hampshire, 2 ; New Jersey, 7; New York, 34 : North Carolina, 9 ; Ohio, 21 ; Oregon, i ; Pennsylvania, 
28; Rhode Island, 2; South Carolina, 7: Tennessee, 10; Te.xas, 11 ; Vermont, 2: Virginia, 10; West 
Virginia, 4 ; Wisconsin, 9. 



^hc M^hitc |ioti5C, 




R Executive Mansion, is situated on Pennsylvania Avenue, between the Treasury building 
and the State, Navy, and War building, facing Lafayette Park. It stands back from the 
Avenue in a grove of sycamores, oaks, and poplars. It was designed and built by James 
Hogan, and has sheltered all the Presidents of the United States during their official terms 
except George Washington, who selected its site and showed the greatest interest in the 
progress of the home of his successors. In October of the year 1800 President Adams 
entered into possession of the finished building. In the middle of President Madison's second term, in 
August, 1 8 14, the British troops partially destroyed the White House, after having partaken of a dinner 
which Mrs. Madison had intended to give to some friends. 

The White House is built of sandstone, painted white. It is 170 feet long and 86 feet broad. It i- 
two stories high, and contains also a basement, which is, however, not visible from the front. The main 
entrance is overshadowed by a large portico, which is approached from Pennsylvania Avenue by two drives 
ways. The grounds are beautifully kept, and contain fountains, beautiful flowerbeds, and lawns. A circular 
colonnade is on the south side of the building. A conservatory adjoins the house on the west. The 
state parlors — the East Room, the Green Room, the Blue Room, and the Red Room — are on the ground 
floor, as is also the State Dining-room. The second story contains the President's business offices, the Library, 
the Cabinet-room, and his private apartments. The building cost over $1,640,000, and is run at a cost of 
considerably over $100,000 yearly. It costs yearly $15,000 to light the building and the grounds, while 
the greenhouses are kept at an expense of $6,000 per annum. Compared to the prodigious cost of European 
courts, however, this sum is an eloquent sermon on Jeffersonian simplicity. 



She imixitc Spouse, 




OUTH front, overlooks a park sloping gradually to the banks of the Potomac, and offers a 
magnificent prospect of the wooded hills of Virginia and Maryland. This park belongs to 
the government reservation called "The President's Grounds," in which the White House- 
is situated. The basement, which is invisible from the Pennsylvania side, is entirely above 
ground here, owing to the sloping of the ground, and gives the edifice a facade of three 
stories. Directly in front of the south portico is a stand from which open-air concerts are 
given every Saturday afternoon during the summer season, which are free to the public. 

The main plan of the White House was copied by Hogan from the Duke of Leinster's mansion at 
Dublin, and, as it stands to-day, the "President's Palace" is a faithful copy of the Irish nobleman's house. 
The portico with the Ionic columns at the front of the building was placed there in 1829 by President 
Jackson. Otherwise no alterations or additions have been made to it since its completion in the latter part 
of 1799. The White House is now inadequate to the social and official surroundings of the American 
President, and it is proposed to retain the present building for the executive office, and to erect a new and 
more spacious Executive Mansion. 



J'lic (Bvccn llooin 




,S furnished and decorated in green, a pale green wall-paper with sprays of gold covering the 
walls. At oflicial receptions the President receives his guests in this room, where they are 
presented to him by the Marshal of the District of Columbia. After their presentation the 
guests retire to the other state apartments. The Green Room contains also the life-size 
painting of Mrs. Rutherford B. Hayes, by Huntington. The canvas is over seven feet high; 
the oaken frame was made by the Cincinnati School of Design, and is over ten feet in height. 

This picture of Mrs. Hayes was presented to the nation by the National Temperance Union in i88r. hi 

this room hang also portraits of Mrs. Polk and Mrs. Tyler. 



Site glnc goom 




S oval in form, and decorated and furnished in light blue. In this room the President receives 
on ceremonial or social occasions. The walls are tastefully ornamented in blue and gold, 
and the upholstery in silk with gold trimmings is superb. This room opens into the Red 
Room, which is the President's family drawing-room, and in turn gives access to the State 
Dining-room. 




give %WinVr ^tati% and ^auy gcparhncnts 

CCUPY the immense structure in Renaissance style on Pennsylvania Avenue, west of the White 
House, which was erected in 1871-87, from designs by A. B. Mullett. It is 567 feet long, 
with 342 feet frontage, and is 145 feet high. It covers 4>^ acres of ground, and cost 
$10,700,000. The State Department occupies the south front, the War Department the 
north front, and the Navy Department the east front. In one of the rooms of the War 
Department is a collection of pictures of former Secretaries of War, and another room 
contains portraits of famous soldiers. The headquarters of the army are also established here, and contain 
portraits of all the commanders-in-chief, from Washington to Sheridan. From 1775 to the present day the 
armv has had 17 commanders-in-chief, but Congress conferred the full title of General on only four of them 
— Washington, Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan. 

The Department of State embraces a Diplomatic Bureau, a Consular Bureau, a Bureau of Indexes and 
Archives, a Bureau of Accounts, a Bureau of Statistics, a Bureau of Rolls, and several minor divisions. The 
o-reat seal of the United States is kept in this department, which contains also the first draught of the Declara- 
tion of Independence and of the Federal Constitution, Washington's commission as commander-in-chief of 
the American army, letters and papers of Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and some of the other early 
Presidents, and many other precious documents and relics of the War of Independence. 



'^hc Wxcxo from the WXnv gcpavtmcnt 

O the eastward embraces the White House, its greenhouses and grounds, the Treasur)' 
building, and offers a magnificent vista of Pennsylvania Avenue, stretching itself broad and 
straight with its fine buildings and shady sidewalks tovi-ard^ the Capitol, which rises 
majestically in the background. This view gives a deeper meaning to the epithet of "City 
of Magnificent Distances," bestowed on Washington by the \vitt\' Abhe Correa de Sorra, the 
Minister from Portugal, in 1804. That distinguished foreigner referred to the great 
distances that separated the few straggling houses which constituted the National Capital at that time, and 
never dreamt that his witticism would apply to it one day in a widely different sense. M'ashington is still 
the City of Magnificent Distances, the city of grand avenues and noble streets. This is largely due, it is 
said, to Alexander R. Shepherd, who had the faculty of looking forward, and who constructed a plan of 
comprehensive improvements. Work was begun in 1871, and in a few years the old ugly city had given 
place to the magnificent Capital of to-day. 




JIxc treasury ^uildiuiv 




N the east side of the Executive Mansion, is constructed of Virginia freestone and Maine 
granite. It is 460 feet long, and has a frontage of 264 feet on Pennsylvania Avenue. It is 
Grecian in architecture, three stories high, and surmounted by a balustrade. The facades 
on the northwest and south have porticoes of Ionic columns, cut out of immense monoliths 
quarried in Maine. 

The Treasury Department was established by an act of Congress in 1789. This act 
created the office of Secretary of the Treasury, and confided to his care the entire charge of the finances of the 
government, which had hitherto been in the hands of commissioners. The first Treasury building — a small, 
wooden structure — was burned to the ground in 18 14 by the British troops. The second building was also 
destroyed by fire in 1833. The cornerstone of the present building was laid by President Jackson, Riiberi 
Mills being the architect. It was completed in 1841, and the extensions were added in 1855, from designs 
made by Thomas U. Walter. These extensions were completed in 1869. The building had cost up to 
that time over $7,000,000, and since then immense sums have been spent in alterations and decorations. 
It contains 200 rooms, exclusive of the vaults in the basement. The principal divisions of the Treasury 
Department are: the offices of the First and Second Comptroller, the Commissioner of Customs, the Com- 
missioner of Internal Revenue, the Treasurer of the U. S., the Register of the Treasury, the Comptroller ol 
the Currency, the Director of the Mint, and the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Auditor?. 



She gatcut mfkt 




CCUPIES the greater part of the building situated between Seventh and Ninth and F and G 
Streets, that bears its name. It is an imposing structure, in Doric style, built of sandstone 
painted white. The extension is of white marble. The building is 410 feet long and 275 
feet broad. The east and west halls are each 271 feet in length and 64 feet wide. The 
north and south halls are about 145 feet long. The lower stories of the Patent Oflice are 
occupied by the various ofiices of the Department of the Interior. Upwards of 21,000 
patents are issued yearly, exclusive of the numberless trademarks, labels, etc., that are registered each year. 
The model rooms are on the second floor, and contain over 300.000 models of patented articles, arranged 
in classes and subdivisions, all properly labeled and 'inde.xed, and covering almost every conceivable thing 
under the sun. Among the curiosities in these rooms are: Benjamin Franklin's printing-press, a model 
patented by Abraham Lincoln in 1847 (in case 23), and a pair of gloves which belonged to President Lincoln. 
A fine library is also connected with the Patent Office. It contains over 12,000 volumes, including the best 
foreign and American works in all the branches of invention and m.echanics. The' Patent Office is not only 
self-sustaining, but very profitable. Its annual receipts far exceed the expenditures. When a patent is applied 
for, it is carefully examined, and the necessary investigations made to cleteimine whether or not the patent 
can be granted. Three examiners-in-chief tinally decide the grants. A patent continues for 17 years, unless 
tlie article has been previously patented in a foreign country, when the American patent expires with the 
foreiL;n one. 



S'hc 2?05t-(Dfficc 




CCUPIES the square situated between Seventh and Eighth and E and F Streets, Northwest. 
Its foundations were laid in 1839, '^^ ^ Street portion having been designed by Robeii 
Mills, while the extension was designed by T. U. Walter, and commenced in June. 1S55. 
The style is pure Corinthian, the materials used in its construction being New York and 
Maryland white marble. It is 300 feet long by 204 feet broad, two stories high, resting on 
a rustic basement, and contains deep vaults. 
There are at present47,683 post-offices in the United States, which require the services of 67,000 officials. 

The Dead-Letter Office is one of the most interesting branches of the postal service. Nearly 15,000 letters 

are received here daily from different parts of the country, exclusive of packages and other mail matter. 

About 10,000 letters are forwarded every year to this office without any address whatever on the envelope-^. 

One of the greatest curiosities in the Post-Office Department is the book of post-office accounts kept by Dr. 

Franklin, the first Postmaster General of the Colonies. 



ghc pension (Dfficc 




S situated on the northern end of Judiciary Square, near G Street. It is built in Renaissance 
style, of pressed brick, with terra cotta mouldings, and is 400 feet long by 200 feet broad, 
the walls being 75 feet high. The walls enclose an interior courtyard, which has a high rool 
of iron and glass, and is crowned with a dome. A notable feature of the exterior decoration 
IS the band of sculpture in terra cotta on the level of the second story, three feet in height 
and 1 200 feet long, which represents various scenes of a soldier's life, with incidents from 
the career of a man-of-war's man. The terra cotta ornaments, medallions, and cornices are also very hand- 
some. The Pension Office disburses annually §30,000,000 for pensions, and as much more for arrears oi 
pensions. The total cost of the building was about $500,000. 



Slic gbull of tlic pension ©fficc 

!jS 316 feet long by 116 feet wide. It consists of an immense court occupying the centre of 
the building, and is covered with an iron framed glass roof slated with hollow tiles to 
exclude the inclemencies of the weather. It is crowned with a dome, and is lighted b\- 
clear-story windows situated above the roof of the oflice-rooms on the third floor. Around 
the sides of the court run two galleries, one above the other, supported by Ionic and Doric 
columns. Four broad stairways lead up to these galleries, which give direct access to the 
offices and rooms of the second and third stories. All the rooms in the building communicate directly with 
the outside air, and receive additional light from the court. The court will easily accommodate 18, coo 
persons at an inauguration ball, and will contain 59,000 persons closely packed. 




Tiu gui-jeau erf printing and gitgraiiinci 




Is situated at the corner of Fourteenth and B Streets, Southwest. It is a brick building of the 
Romanesque stj'le, three stories high, with a high basement, and on the north end a tall 
tower. It was erected in 1879 at a cost of $300,000, the interior appointments being 
elaborate and of the best workmanship. In this building the national paper currency is 
manufactured. The engraving division, where are made the plates from which the bank- 
notes are printed , is in the basement. The engravers are carefully guarded by watchmen, 
and the plates, blocks, and rolls, are securely locked each night in a safety vault. In all the divisions of 
this department the employees are under close and constant surveillance. The printing division occupies 
the entire third story. There are 250 plate presses, and a force of 500 male and female clerks constantly 
engaged in the printing of bank-notes, bonds, and internal revenue stamps. The examining, lettering and 
numbering, and counting divisions are on the second floor. The imperfect sheets are separated here and 
sent to the redemption department of the Treasury, while the perfect sheets are lettered and numbered, 
counted, and sent to the basement to receive the red seal of the government. The new made bank-notes 
are then conveyed to the Treasury in guarded wagons. 




^■.J'''<'i:Ha:Ha 




ghc gcpavtmcut of ^gvicultivrjc 

'is situated directly west of the Smithsonian Institution, between Twelfth and Fourteenth 
Streets. It is in Renaissance style, three stories high, with a mansard roof, built of pressed 
brick with brown stone trimmings, and is 170 feet long and 61 feet wide. On the first floor 
are the offices of the Department, the library, and rooms for the Chief Clerk and his stafF. 
On the second floor is the Museum of Agriculture, which illustrates the agricultural pro- 
ducts of the country, and the substances manufactured from them. Every vegetable raised 
Irom California to Maine, and many minerals and woods are contained in the collection, which embraces 
also the game birds and poultry of the United States. On the third story are the herbarium and the taxi- 
dermists' workshops. The botanical collections gathered by government expeditions are here on exposi- 
tion. The packing rooms and the steam-engines are in the basement. The building was erected in 1868, 
at a cost of about $200,000. 

Adjoining the building on the west are extensive conservatories, built of glass and iron. They contain 
the principal varieties of tropica! plants, medical plants, plants furnishing dyes, gums and textile fibres, and 
an extensive collection of foreign grapes. The seed-house, where the garden, field, and flower seeds are 
stored, and whence they are distributed all over the country, are to the east of the Department building. 
Over two million packages of seeds are distributed yearly by the Department of Agriculture, which is one of 
the most important factors in the prosperity of the country, and which has done untold good to its 
ao-ricullural interests. Every department of agronomy is studied here, extensive experiments are constantly 
nmde, and the thousands of inquiries sent to the Department on subjects relating to agriculture are mi- 
nutely answered. A voluminous report is issued annually in book form, 300,000 copies of which are distribu- 
ted chiefly in the Western States. Monthly crops reports are also compiled by the Department and pub- 
lished in the papers and in pamphlet form. 



She M'\m} Pctlical glxiscmu 




Tenth Street was the scene of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on Friday, April 14, 1865, 
the da}' afterthe celebration of theclose ofthe Civil War. Opposite themuseum is the Peterson 
house whither the Emancipator was carried, and where he died on the following day. A mar- 
ble tablet on the house bears the record of Lincoln's death. Ford's Theatre, as the building 

was called at the time ofthe assassination, was purchased by the government in 1866. It 

was entirely reconstructed, and is now used for the Army Medical Museum, and the record 

and pension division ofthe Surgeon General's Department. 





. '^;-" ?»V.i W' .•■. . -'-■> 



She ftatiounl P^uscum 




AS erected in 1879 by the government as an annex to the Smithsonian Institution. It was 
originally designed to contain the art treasures exhibited by foreign governments at the 
Centennial Exhibition, — which were presented to the United States, but its scope has 
gradually been widened, and it now is a general museum in which all the geological and 
industrial collections of the government are kept on exhibition. It also contains the 
Washington relics. It is built of brick, in variegated courses, and mainly but one story 
high, the pavilions at the four corners are three stories in height, and the four entrances are flanked by towers. 
The dome in the centre rises to a height of 108 feet. On the ground floor are 17 halls, divided only by the 
columns supporting the roof, and on the main floor and on the two upper stories of the pavilions and the 
towers there are 135 rooms, which are devoted to offices, working rooms, etc. The floors are constructed 
of tiles laid in artistic forms. 

The museum contains large collections of industrial products, historical relics, and ethnological objects, 
and its collections aie rapidly becoming the laigest and most complete in the world. 



^hc J»miths0uiim Institution 




^S Iniilt of red sandstone in Norman style, from designs furnished by Mr. Renwick of New 
York. It consists of a centre building, 250 feet long, and 55 feet wide, two connecting 
ranges and cloister, 60 by 49 feet each, and two wings, each 40 by 80 feet. Above the 
north entrance are two towers, of which the taller one is 145 feet high. Over the south en- 
trance is a large square tower, 91 feet in height, and the main building is flanked at each 
angle by a tower, while the wings have smaller low-ers, making nine towers in all. The 
grounds comprise 52 acres of ground. The first floor of the main building contains a collection of birds, 
over 8,000 in number, while the east wing is used by the administrative offices of the Institution, the 
National Museum, and the U. S. Fish Commission. On the second floor is the .Anthropological Hall, 
while in the south part of the building is the collection of living animals native to the United States, which 
is to form the nucleus of a zoological garden to be established in Washington. 

"The Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diflfusion of knowledge among 
men," was founded with the money left to the United States of America for that purpose by John Smithson, 
who died in 1828, leaving an estate valued at half a million dollars. In 1838 this bequest was transferred 
to the United Slates by the Chancery Court of England. The money was transferred to the United States 
Treasury, where it gathered interest until 1846, when a law was passed establishing the Institution as it 
now is. The corner-stone was laid on May i, 1847, a-nd it was completed in 1856 at a cost of $450,000, 
which was paid with the accumulated interest on the original bequest. The Institution expends about 
$70,000 yearly in various scientific investigations, and publishes a series of volumes, entitled the "Smith- 
sonian Contributions to Knowledge." 



Jhc ^oxcov'iXn ©allery of girt 




AS erected by the late W. W. Corcoran in 1859, at a cost of $250,000. The gallery is 
situated on the northeast corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Seventeenth Street, opposite 
the State, War, and Navy Department. The building is two stories high, and the front is 
divided into recesses by pilasters, and has four niches containing statues of Diirer, Raphael, 
Phidias, and Michel Angelo. In the seven niches on Seventeenth Street are statues of Titian, 
Rubens, Rembrandt, Crawford, Canova, Murillo, and Da Vinci. The statues are of 
marble, and were executed by M. Ezekiel. The frontage of the gallery is, 106 feet; its depth is 125 feet. 
It is built of pressed brick, with brown-stone facings and ornaments, and is in Renaissance style with a 
mansard roof. The main entrance is on Pennsylvania Avenue, and is guarded by two lions in bronze, 
which are reproductions of Canova 's lions at the tomb of Clement XIII. in Rome. The first floor is entirely 
devoted to sculpture, bronzes, and ceramics. It contains a hall for casts from the best works of the Greek 
sculptors, a hall of modern sculpture, and a gallery of the Renaissance. On this floor are also the Trustees' 
rooms, the janitor's apartments, etc. In the second story are four galleries of paintings, of which the east 
gallery contains the collection of American portraits, and the southwest gallery the Ogle Tayloe collection 
of ]iaintings. In the Octagon Room are Powers' world-famous "Greek Slave" and "The Veiled Nun, '' 
together with some busts of celebrated men. The founder of the galler}" was known throughout the land 
for his philanthropy and public spirit. He died on February 24th, 18SS, in the 90th year of his age, and 
was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery. 



S situated a short distance from Washington on the Rock Creek road in the District of Co- 
lumbia. The main building is constructed of white marble, has a frontage of 200 feet, and 
a tall central tower. The wing is 60 feet in length. Several marble cottages, occupied b_y 
the officials, are situated in the grounds, which cover an area of 500 acres, as is also a sum- 
mer house for the Presidents of the United States. The home was founded in 1S51 at the 
suggestion of General Winfield Scott, whose statue occupies a commanding position 
on the grounds, with the money levied by him on the City of Mexico for violation of the truce. Veterans 
of the Mexican War, and privates of the regular army who have served faithfully for twenty years, or have 
been disabled in the service of the country, are entitled to residence in this institution, which by reason of the 
excellent care taken of its inmates fully deserves the name of Home. It is under the supervision of 
a board of high army ofl'icers, presided over by the Lieutenant-General commanding the American Army. 




ihc 



itauy lard 




Us located on the Anacostia, the eastern branch of the Potomac. It contains two ship-houses, 
a copper-rolling mill, a naval storehouse, foundries, and shops for the manufacture of ord- 
ance, and all the various articles used in the equipment of war vessels. The yard com- 
prises 42 acres of ground. In the naval museum attached to it are many interesting relics 
of olden times, among them being a Spanish gun, cast in 1490, brought to America by 
Cortez, and which was used in the conquest of Peru ; a mortar taken from Cornwallis, and 
many other objects of interest. The Marine Barracks, where the marine corps of the United States Navy is 
quartered, are also near the Navy Yard. Nearly all the great war vessels possessed by the United States 
during the last fiftv years were built at this establishment. 



y 





Ike (Sarficirt J^tatuc, 




V John Q. A. Ward, stands at the Maryland Avenue entrance to the Capitol Park. It was 
erected by President Garfield's comrades of the Army of the Cumberland in 1887. The 
statue is of bronze, and cost $33,500. The pedestal with the recumbent figures represent- 
ing the Student, the Warrior, and the Statesman, was erected by Congress at a cost of $31,- 
500. The total height of the statue is 18 feet. 

The Garfield Memorial Church is on Vermont Avenue, between N and O Streets. In 
the small chapel which formerly stood on this site President Garfield worshiped for many years, and his pew, 
draped in black and bearing a silver tablet, has been placed in the present edifice. 

In the waiting-room of the Washington station of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad, where President 
Garfield was shot on July 2, 1881, is a marble memorial tablet, erected by the railroad company directly 
over the spot where he fell. 




glxj> J>t;itxtc of Oicucral JacUsou 

AS unveiled on the Sth of Januaiy, 1853. It is the work of Clark Mills, and was cast from 
the brass guns and mortars captured by the hero of New Orleans. The statue is about one- 
third larger than life, and weighs 15 tons. The horse is poised upon its hind feet without 
being secured by the usual bars and rivets. The statue occupies the center of Lafayette 
Square, opposite the White House. Its total cost was $50,000. 



ghc ^tittuc of ^vcav gitbnirul J'aimicI g. pupout. 




Jfy Launt Thompson, stands in the center of the circle at the intersection of Massachusetts and 
Connecticut Avenues. It was ordered by Congress in 1882, and erected in 1SS4, Hon. 
Thomas F. Bayard delivering the oration. The statue represents the Admiral in full 
uniform, standing on the quarter deck, marine glass in hand. The pedestal is composed 
of grav granite, on a base of blue rock. The total cost of the statue was $14,000. 



%\xc gqucstviau ^tatuc of 05cueval George JJ. gliomas 




TANDS on Thomas Circle, at the intersection of Fourteenth Street, Massachusetts and 
Vermont Avenues. The statue was erected by the Society of the Army of the Cumberland, 
Congress having provided the money for the pedestal. Statue and pedestal are 32 feet high, 
and cost $75,000. The pedestal is of granite, ornamented with bronze tablets on which 
are the insignia of the Army of the Cumberland. The statue was unveiled on the 19th 
day of November, the oration being delivered by Hon. Stanle\- Matthews. 




Jlxe Mlashiucitou piouumcut 

ISES to the height of 555 feet from its base, and is 572 feet above the surface of the sur- 
rounding country, as it stands on a terrace 17 feet high. The foundation of the shaft is 
126 feet square, and is 37 feet below its base. It is constructed of soh'd blue rock and 
bears a weight of 81, 120 tons. The base of the monument is 55 feet square, the lower 
walls measuring 15 feet in thickness. At the height of 500 feet, where the pyramidal 
cap begins, the walls are 35 feet square, and 18 inches thick. The inside of the walls is 
of granite laid in regular courses with the marble on the outside, except for the first 150 feet from the base 
where the granite has not been laid in regular courses. The top is entirely constructed of marble. The 
cap stoae is 5 feet 2|i inches high, and about 3 feet square at its base. The aluminium tip which finishes 
the pyramid is 9 inches in height, 4;a inches in diameter at the base, and weighs 6^4: pounds. In the 
interior of the lower wails are set a number of memorial stones sent by states, corporations, and foreign 
governments, to be embodied in the monument. The interior of the shaft is fitted with iron steps, 900 to 
the 500 feet, and an elevator runs to the top. The monument is lighted by electricity, the only windows 
in it being in the lower course of the roof stones, 2 on each side. 

The cornerstone of the monument was laid on July 4th, 1848. Woik was begun at once, and con- 
tinued till 1854, when it was suspended for lack of funds. In 1876 the government took charge of the 
construction, and Colonel T. L. Casey, of the Corps of Engineers, detailed to superintend the work. He 
set the capstone on December 6, 1884, in the presence of President Arthur, W. W. Corcoran, M. E. Bell, 
Edward Clark, and John Newton. The monument was dedicated on the 21st of February, 18S5. 



Criirist g:piscapal Clxxvixh^ 




IJN Alexandria, was dedicated in 1765. It is built of bricks imported from England; and 
General Washington was once a member of its vestry. In the grave yard surrounding the 
edifice are several quaint old tombstones. Alexandria was founded in 1748, and for several 
X ears was known as Bellhaven. It soon came to prominence as the shipping port of 
Virginia planters, and had a large foreign trade. To-day it is a sleepy, old-fashioned town, 
its very atmosphere redolent of the times that are past, and with that strange charm which 

the relics and buildings of colonial times impart. The bustle and activity of neighboring Washington 

accentuate the drowsy quiet of this villc inorte on the Potomac. 



General 'Washington's gc\u 




N Christ Church is religiously kept as it was when the great patriot occupied it. It has a 
high back and three seats, two of which face each other, while the third is against the wall. 
Washington always occupied the latter. The number of the pew is 59. General Lee used 
to occupy pew No. 49 in this church during his lite at Arlington. 



girliugtou 




ONTAINS the largest and most important of the 82 military burial grounds established 
throughout the country by the United States government. It contains the graves of over 
16,000 soldiers, the most interesting monument in the cemetery being the granite tomb 
erected over the remains of 2,111 unknown soldiers gathered from the battle fields of Bull 
Run and on the route to the Rappahannock. The estate comprises 11 60 acres, and was 
originally part of the vast land grant made to Robert Howson by Sir William Berkeley, 
governor of Virginia in the reign of George II. The present Arlington estate was purchased by John 
Custis, the great-grandfather of George Washington Parke Custis, and remained in the possession of 
his descendants until the beginning of the Rebellion, when it was confiscated by the U. S. government. 
Subsequently the government paid $150,000 for it to George Washington Custis Lee, the eldest son of the 
great Confederate leader. 



General %cz's ffotnc 




T Arlington consists of a large centre building with two wings. It is constructed of brick 
covered with stucco, and has a frontage of 140 feet. The lofty portico of the mansion is sup- 
ported by eight majestic columns. The view of the surrounding country which this portico 
offers, is one of the finest in the world, comprising as it does the sweep of the river and 
the imposing buildings of the national capital. The house at Arlington gains additional 
historical interest from the fact that George Washington also has inhabited it with his wife. 



Cabiu Jolm ^ridp 




ROSSES the Potomac between the Great Falls and the Little Falls, about 14 miles above 
Washington. It conveys the aqueduct of the Washington Water Works, is 420 feet long, 
and hasan arch 220 feet in length with 571^ feet rise. This is said to be the longest arch of 
masonry in the world. The total cost of the bridge was $237,000. 



Mount ^Icvuou 




S situated on the weslern bank of the Potomac, in Fairfax Count\', Virginia, i6 miles from 
Washington. What is now known as Mount Vernon is but a small part of the original 
plantation, and is in the possession of the Ladies' Mount Vernon Association, incorporated 
in 1856. The mansion fronts to the northwest, with its rear, on which is the piazza, look- 
ing towards the river. It is constructed of wood, painted in imitation of stone, has two 
stories and an attic, and is 96 feet long, and 30 feet wide. The room in which the First 
President died on December 14th, 1799, is on the second .story. It contains the bedstead on which he lay 
in his last hours, and has been religiously preserved as it was in the days when the founder of American In- 
dependence occupied it. Many relics of Washington are kept in the building, among them being the key 
of the Bastille presented to him by the Marquis de Lafayette, while the room which Martha Washington 
occupied after her husband's death, and Lafayette's room are also shown to visitors. 




^hc J'omb of 05covgc Washington 

S situated a short distance south of the mansion. The exterior tomb is constructed of brick, 
with a high, arched entrance, closed by an iron gate, above which, on a plain slab, are the 



words : " Within this enclosure rest the remains of General George Washington." Over 
the interior tomb is a stone panel, wiih the inscription : "I am the Resurrection and the 
Life ; he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." The marble sar- 
cophagus containing Washington's remains is placed directly in front of the entrance, and 
is visible from without. It is cut out of one solid piece of marble, and bears on its covering stone the coat 
of arms of the United States, sculptured on a draped flag, and the name " Washington." A few feet from it 
is a similar sarcophagus, inscribed, "Martha, Consort of Washington. Died May 21, iSoi, agedyi years." 
The vault at the rear of the enclosure contains the remains of Judge Bushrod Washington, and other mem- 
bers of the Washington family. In front of the tomb are two marble nionumenis erected in memory ot 
judge Washington, and John Augustine Washington. 



^.H^ 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

iiiii'iniriiii i III I rill' nil III I 



III I imiii 
014 310 493 A • 



